Words / P / Law

plaintiff

/ˈpleɪntɪf/

B2CEFR level
45/100Rarity: uncommon
TechnicalRegister

Law noun

The party who brings a civil case to court.

The plaintiff sought damages for breach of contract.

Similar: claimant, complainant

Origin: Anglo-French pleintif 'complaining'.

Topic: Litigation in Legal English

Business noun

The party who brings a legal action against another in court.

As the plaintiff, the distributor had to prove the manufacturer had knowingly shipped defective units.

Similar: claimant, complainant

Topic: Negotiation in Business English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More law words: Litigation